The University of Stirling, recognised as Scotland's top educational establishment for sporting excellence by the Scottish Government and home of Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS), will again provide the base for final Team Scotland preparations having hosted Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games Preparation Camps since 2006.

After athletes and support staff from all 17 sports will gather there on July 5 and 6 for final instructions and distribution of team clothing.

The preparation camp will then officially start on July 7, with athletes from 11 of the 17 sports on the Glasgow 2014 programme due to attend. 

"The pre-Games preparation camp is a vital date in our diary, bringing all selected athletes together and helping them to prepare for the major Games environment," said Jon Doig, chief executive of CGS and Chef de Mission for Glasgow 2014. 

"We are delighted to hold it once again at the University of Stirling, which has everything we need to make Team Scotland feel at home."

Professor Gerry McCormac, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of University of Stirling, triathlete Natalie Milne, Team Scotland Chef de Mission Jon Doig and Peter Bilsborough, director of sports development at the University of Stirling, reveal details of the pre-Games training camp for Glasgow 2014 ©University of Stirling

Earlier this month, CGS announced the selection of 310 athletes, making it the largest ever Team Scotland to compete at a Commonwealth Games.

Around 125 athletes and 40 support staff will be based on the Stirling campus, from hockey, judo, lawn bowls, netball, rugby sevens, shooting, squash, table tennis, triathlon, powerlifting and wrestling.

They will enjoy unique access to the wide range of available sports facilities, including the 50 metres swimming pool at the National Swimming Academy, the athletics track and a state-of-the-art fitness suite with performance strength and conditioning areas.

Athletes will stay on campus and access dedicated leisure areas ahead of the transition into the Glasgow 2014 Athletes' Village ahead of the Games Opening Ceremony on July 23. 

Scotland's team for the Games includes 19 athletes from Stirling, nine of them swimmers.

"The University provides the perfect location to prepare for the start line at Glasgow 2014," said Natalie Milne, a student there who has been selected for the triathlon.

"This will be my first Commonwealth Games, but from my experience of competing at World Cup and World Series events I know how important the final preparations are and I'm sure the Stirling campus will prove popular with all the athletes coming here."

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